past lives

There is much research being done around past-life memories and experiences. People undergo past life regressions with trained regression therapists or they have spontaneous memories. Perhaps, they have knowledge or a skill set for which they were not trained or a huge fear without any rational basis. Or they meet someone with whom they have a meaningful connection that feels timeless and familiar. There are those moments of déjà vu when you are certain you have previously experienced what is seemingly new to you now. It can be disconcerting because it is all-too familiar. You never done this; you have never been here; and you have never seen this before. How did you know that the bakery in Prague was on that little street? How did you know how to repair an antique lock?

In my own life, I remember as a girl of about 11 years of age traveling with my grandmother, mother, sister, and aunt. We were having lunch at a restaurant that was outside, on a tiled patio, atop a mountain. I was quietly freaking out as I had a distinct memory of being there before. My sister, then a brother, had fallen off the mountain and I, also a male, was desperately trying to hold onto his hand and pull him up to safety. I vividly remembered how he had slipped out of my hand and fell, presumably to his death. I had never been to this part of the world before and what I felt was exceedingly real and visceral.

I have a godchild who has never lived near the ocean in her life. However, since she was quite small – and up to the present day — she has had a huge terror of being eaten by a shark. Where do these fears come from? I think the soul remembers.

The Leiningers’ son, James began having nightmares and past-life memories at the very early age of two years old. His experiences forced the family on an unexpected odyssey of healing. Years ago, I was given a copy of the book, Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot to review and I found their story worth sharing. Here is a bit of what I wrote:

Do you believe in reincarnation? Past lives? A regular, hard-working, church-going couple, Andrea and Bruce Leininger were faced with these very questions when their two-year-old son, James, began have unremitting nightmares and shouting the words, “Plane on fire! Little man can’t get out!”

Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot is the chronicle of their odyssey as this everyday family struggled to make sense of their son’s constant, shrieking nightmares, out-of-context words and obsession with planes. The book details their persistent and tenacious exploration which leads to far-reaching, soul-satisfying results.

The Leininger family relocates to Louisiana for Bruce’s new job, another move in a string of job-related hops. Andrea determinedly works on their house to make it a home for their happy threesome. She is more than ready to put down permanent roots. Their only child, and their pride and joy, begins having nightmares.

Initially, the nightmares are attributed to the move and, then considered to be a stage, not so uncommon with small children. But the nightmares are loud, disruptive and disturbing. Andrea shares her concern with “the panel,” her mother and sisters who offer advice and solace. Her mother refers Andrea to the book, Children’s Past Lives by researcher, Carol Bowman, who confirms that James’ nightmares are, in fact, James reliving a past life experience.

With suggestions from Bowman, the frequency of the nightmares decreases. Conversely, James begins talking more about his past life. He mentions an individual’s name, a specific aircraft, and the name of his ship, the Natoma Bay. At three years of age, James begins to draw, in accurate detail, sea and air battles with aircraft details matching those used during WWII.

By four years old, James constructs his own cockpit and regularly enacts going through the pre-flight check-list. During a visit to a local air show, one of the Blue Angels asks James what he wants to be when he grows up, James responds, “I want to be an F-18 Super Hornet Pilot and then a Blue Angel pilot – the slot pilot.”

With every clue that young James offers, both parents look at one another wide-eyed wondering how their little boy could know what he knows. James’ father scours the Internet and finds, time after time, that his son’s WWII aviation knowledge is accurate.

All of this came to be when a two-year old boy began having unrelenting nightmares. The family’s first thought was certainly not past-lives, but their dedication in relieving their son’s pain led them to that conclusion.

Recently, a mom shared with me that her two-year old son announced at dinner that his grandfather had been his father. The family paid little attention and kept enjoying their meal. However, the mom had been told previously of the past-life relationship between her son and his grandfather and she felt her son confirmed the connection.

It is said that the veil is thinner with children. They still have one foot, so to speak, in the other realms and have had less time, comparatively speaking, on the physical plane. As a result, they remember more easily.